Connected automated vehicle highway systems and methods related to transit vehicles and systems

Abstract

The technology provides designs and methods for the transit management system, which facilitates transit vehicle operations and control for connected automated transit vehicles (CATVs) systems. The transit management system provides transit vehicles with customized/non-customized information and time-sensitive control instructions for transit vehicle to fulfill the driving tasks such as vehicle routing, lane changing, turning. The transit management system also realizes transit vehicle lane design, transportation operations and management services for transit vehicle. The transit management system consists of one of more of the following physical subsystems: (1) Roadside Unit (RSU) network, (2) Traffic Control Unit (TCU) and Traffic Control Center (TCC) network, (3) Vehicle Onboard Unit (OBU), (4) Traffic Operations Centers (TOCs), (5) Cloud platform. The transit management system realizes one or more of the following function categories: sensing, transportation behavior prediction and management, planning and decision making, and vehicle control. The transit management system is supported by road infrastructure, real-time wired and/or wireless communication, the power supply networks, and cyber safety and security services.

1 - 159 . (canceled) 
     
     
         160 . A transit management system for operating and controlling connected and automated transit vehicles (CATVs), said transit management system configured to send individual CATVs detailed and time-sensitive control instructions for vehicle routing, lane changing, and/or turning, wherein said transit management system comprises:
 a) a roadside unit (RSU) network;   b) a traffic control unit (TCU) and traffic control center (TCC) network;   c) vehicle onboard units (OBU)   d) traffic operations centers (TOC); and   e) a cloud-based platform configured to provide information and computing services.   
     
     
         161 . The transit management system of  claim 160 , wherein said system comprises:
 a) dedicated CATV lanes, non-dedicated lanes, and/or dynamic CATV-only lanes; and   b) physical barriers and/or logical barriers separating lanes used for CATVs from traditional lanes used by human-driven vehicles.   
     
     
         162 . The transit management system of  claim 160 , wherein said system comprises dedicated CATV bus stops, non-dedicated CATV bus stops, curbside bus stops, and/or bus bay stops. 
     
     
         163 . The transit management system of  claim 160  configured to manage vehicles at intersections and/or diverging/merging locations using priority based on the total delay and average vehicle speed. 
     
     
         164 . The transit management system of  claim 160  configured to perform methods for managing CATV stops, said methods comprising:
 a) determining the stop platform of a CATV; 
 b) detecting the accuracy of the stop platform of a CATV; 
 c) detecting the opened or closed state of a CATV door; 
 d) detecting completion of passenger onboarding and/or offloading; 
 e) coordinating entry order and stops points for CATVs arriving at a stop; and/or 
 f) providing warnings relating to abnormal states of CATVs and/or managing abnormal states of CATVs. 
 
     
     
         165 . The transit management system of  claim 160  configured to provide customized mobility services and/or non-customized mobility services. 
     
     
         166 . The transit management system of  claim 160  configured to perform terminal control methods comprising:
 a) identifying CATVs 
 b) releasing CATVs and intercepting unauthorized vehicles; 
 c) inspecting and maintaining CATVs; 
 d) refueling and/or recharging CATVs; 
 e) parking CATVs; and/or 
 f) providing customized maintenance procedures for private and/or third-party vehicles. 
 
     
     
         167 . The transit management system of  claim 160  comprising an interface configure to:
 a) share and obtain traffic data between said transit management system and other shared mobility systems; 
 b) share and obtain traffic incidents between said transit management system and other shared mobility systems; 
 c) share and obtain passenger demand patterns between said transit management system and other shared mobility systems; 
 d) dynamically adjust pricing; 
 e) provide for special agencies to delete, change, and share information; 
 f) provide for the transit management system to take control of vehicles; 
 g) provide for CATVs forming platoons with vehicles of other shared mobility service providers; 
 h) provide for special agencies to take control of vehicles; 
 i) provide for the transit management system to take control of vehicles that arrive at a platform; and/or 
 j) provide the transit management system to take control of vehicles that depart from a platform. 
 
     
     
         168 . The transit management system of  claim 160  configured to perform sensing methods for dedicated lanes, non-dedicated lanes, transit stations, intersections, entrances to dedicated lanes, and/or in CATVs, wherein:
 a) said methods for dedicated lanes comprise monitoring CATVs by RSUs and OBUs to collect dedicated lane data; processing, fusing, and sending said dedicated lane data to the TCC/TCU network; and sharing said dedicated lane data through the cloud platform; 
 b) said methods for non-dedicated lanes comprise monitoring all vehicles by RSUs and monitoring the environment of CATVs by OBUs to collect non-dedicated lane data; processing, fusing, and sending said non-dedicated lane data to the TCC/TCU network; and sharing said non-dedicated lane data through the cloud platform; 
 c) said methods for transit stations comprise monitoring passenger behavior and CATVs by RSUs installed in transit stations; 
 d) said methods for intersections comprise monitoring pedestrian and CATVs by RSUs installed at intersections; 
 e) said methods for entrances to dedicated lanes comprise detecting vehicles by entrance sensors, recording vehicle identifying information, and notifying other vehicles of vehicle entrance; and/or 
 f) said methods for CATVs comprise monitoring the status of vehicles and passengers by OBUs and transmitting said status to RSUs. 
 
     
     
         169 . The transit management system of  claim 160  configured to perform methods relating to transit-related emergencies, incidents, safety, and/or security, said methods comprising:
 a) detecting and identifying events by OBUs and/or RSUs and producing event data; 
 b) transmitting event data to TOCs and/or the cloud-based platform; 
 c) analyzing and evaluating event data; 
 d) producing action plans and/or CATV control strategies by the TOCs and transmitting said action plans and/or CATV control strategies to the cloud-based platform and/or TCC/TCU network; 
 e) sending warnings to transit users; 
 f) updating a scheduling and/or dispatching plan to produce an updated scheduling and/or dispatching plan and transmitting said updated scheduling and/or dispatching plan to CATVs; 
 g) guiding passengers to evacuate affected CATVs; 
 h) affected CATVs are controlled to a safe stop by RSUs supported by the TCC/TCU network and cloud-based platform; and/or 
 i) passengers and/or the CATVs involved and/or affected by the events are monitored and tracked by OBUs and/or RSUs until the event is resolved. 
 
     
     
         170 . The transit management system of  claim 160  configured to perform a method for transportation behavior prediction and management, said method comprising:
 a) providing longitudinal and/or lateral control of CATVs; 
 b) detecting incidents, monitoring CATV components and sub-systems, providing real-time weather information, and adjusting speed according to detected speed zones; and/or 
 c) providing route planning and guidance and managing transit network demand. 
 
     
     
         171 . The transit management system of  claim 160  configured to provide detection, warning, and control of CATVs for:
 a) dedicated lanes used by CATVs for customized and non-customized mobility services; 
 b) dedicated lanes shared by CATVs and non-automated transit vehicles, wherein RSUs send commands to CATVs; and/or 
 c) non-dedicated lanes shared by CATVs and human-driven vehicles. 
 
     
     
         172 . The transit management system of  claim 160  configured as an open platform to provide functions for information inquiry by passengers and managers, customized automated driving services, legal and regulatory services, coordination and aid, broadcast, and/or user management. 
     
     
         173 . The transit management system of  claim 160  configured to provide safety and efficiency measures for CATV operations and control, said safety and efficiency measures comprising:
 a) RSUs providing a location service describing CATV location without the support of vehicle-based sensors; 
 b) RSUs, TCC/TCU network, and cloud-based platform providing site-specific weather and pavement condition information; 
 c) CATV control; and/or 
 d) CATV routing and control. 
 
     
     
         174 . The transit management system of  claim 160  configured to provide security functions comprising:
 a) hardware security; 
 b) network and data security; and/or 
 c) reliability, resilience, and redundancy. 
 
     
     
         175 . The transit management system of  claim 160  configured to provide blind spot detection for CATVs in dedicated lanes and non-dedicated lanes, wherein:
 a) blind spot detection for dedicated lanes comprises collecting and fusing data collected by RSUs and OBUs describing the road and environment for CATVs and characterizing blind spots using said data; 
 b) blind spot detection for non-dedicated lanes comprises collecting and fusing data collected by RSUs and OBUs describing the road and environment for CATVs, non-automated vehicles, and moving entities on the road side; and controlling CATVs using said data; and 
 c) displaying the data describing the road and environment for a CATV on a display in said CATV, wherein 
 when the data collected by an RSU and OBU conflict, the confidence of each data source is used to judge and decide the final outputs. 
 
     
     
         176 . The transit management system of  claim 160  wherein said RSU comprises:
 a) a sensing module configured to sense the environment of CATVs; 
 b) a communication module configured to communicate with CATVs, TCUs, and/or the cloud; 
 c) a data processing module configured to process, fuse, and/or compute the data received from the sensing module and/or communication module; 
 d) an interface module configured to communicate between the data processing module and the communication module; 
 e) an adaptive power supply module configured to adjust power delivery according to the conditions of the local power grid with backup redundancy; 
 f) a transit station management module configured to monitor a transit station, detect passenger behavior, and control CATVs; and/or 
 g) an intersection management module configured to monitor pedestrians and control CATVs based on traffic conditions at intersections. 
 
     
     
         177 . The transit management system of  claim 160 , wherein:
 a) OBUs receive data from RSUs comprising CATV control instructions, travel route and traffic information, and services data;   b) OBUs send data to RSUs comprising driver input, driver status, CATV condition data;   c) OBUs collect CATV data comprising engine state, speed, passenger status, dangerous goods, and/or surrounding objects; and/or   d) OBUS take control of a CATV in adverse weather, traffic accident, and/or communication failure.   
     
     
         178 . The transit management system of  claim 160  wherein said cloud-based platform is configured to perform traffic state estimation and prediction algorithms to estimate the traffic state based on a weighted data fusion method, wherein weights are determined by the quality of data provided by RSU, TCC/TCU, and/or TOC sensors with partial or complete detection. 
     
     
         179 . A method for managing CATVs comprising providing a system according to  claim 160 .